Cincinnati's green building boom reflects Ohioans' changing priorities

When Andreas Kirtley began looking to fulfill his dream of home ownership, it definitely didn't include a suburban address with a large yard and a three-car garage.

Kirtley, 28, chose to buy a condominium in an urban neighborhood, Over-the-Rhine, just outside downtown Cincinnati where recent re-development has created a thriving community of small businesses and new residential units that are attracting buyers looking for a new way of life -- one that emphasizes foot traffic over car travel and puts a priority on green building practices.

"I fell in love with the history and the sense of community in Over-the-Rhine," says Kirtley, who moved into his new home in November. But the fact that his condo was part of a sustainable building project called City Home was a big plus.

"Environmental stewardship is important to me. But it was something I thought I couldn't afford as a young professional. It was a pleasant surprise for me to learn that I could afford it."

The units are priced from the low $100,000s to more than $300,000.

Ohio has emerged as a leader in the green building movement, and nowhere is the trend more evident than in Cincinnati. Changing demographics and lifestyles are making green choices more popular, and the success of projects in Cincinnati shows that the future of building in Ohio is about making it green.

Chad Edwards is 2010 president-elect of the US Green Building Council Cincinnati Regional Chapter and an architect with Emersion DESIGN in Cincinnati, whose office is certified LEED Platinum, the highest green rating available. He says Ohio's leadership started in 2004 with initiatives to begin building new schools in the state to LEED standards that pushed Ohio into the forefront of green construction.

"Ohio was one of the first states to mandate LEED construction for schools," says Edwards. "Because of our leadership in this area we have more LEED certified schools than California, Washington, Oregon, Texas, New Mexico and Florida combined."

But it's not just state government that has a stake in building green. Consumers are becoming much more conscious of energy-efficient, environmentally sound construction as well.

Libby Hunter, a Cincinnati area realtor and a member of the US Green Building Council Cincinnati Regional Chapter Committee on Environmentally Responsible Real Estate, says that interest in green lifestyles and homes has increased dramatically in the last few years.

"They used to think you were a hippie if you mentioned green," she says. "Now we're getting clients where it's first on their list of priorities."

Architect Martha Schickel Dorff, who designed City Home, says she modeled the development of 11 town homes and condos after neighborhoods in Europe because of the existing architecture of the area, which was largely preserved or restored in building City Home, an important element in green building.

"What inspired me was the bones of the neighborhood," she says. "It has a more human scale, small, intimate streets designed for foot traffic, not heavy automobile traffic.

Re-using many of the existing historic buildings for the project has been a priority for re-development in the entire neighborhood, which is part of the Gateway Quarter project that is revitalizing historic but neglected neighborhoods near the city core.

Dorff says she also reconstructed an original brick paver alley to serve as an access drive for the homes, which is permeable and absorbs rainwater, alleviating storm runoff. The homes also have more traditional green elements like high efficiency heating and cooling and energy efficient windows and doors, plus access to a community garden, composting, and a water detention system.

"The American dream has shifted," says Dorff, who lives and works just around the corner from City Home. "When I grew up it was the suburbs. Now there's a strong interest in urban life. Young professionals and empty nesters are buying in the city."

The re-development efforts have made Over-the-Rhine potentially one of the greenest neighborhoods in the country, according to Kaid Benfield, director of the Smart Growth Program in Washington, DC.

Its central location near downtown businesses and the University of Cincinnati, plus proximity to shopping and entertainment, make it an ideal community for those who want to get around without a car. In addition, re-development is preventing the demolition of hundreds of historic Italianate buildings.

The city of Cincinnati has also encouraged green construction by offering a 15-year tax abatement on buildings that meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. The city was one of the first to offer such an incentive.

Learning How to Build Green

For anyone who wants to learn about what it takes to build green, there's no better spot than the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. It is considered the greenest zoo in the country, says Mark Fisher, senior facilities director.

The zoo's new Historic Vine Street Village made it the second zoo in the country to receive the LEED Platinum designation, and it is the only zoo in the nation with multiple LEED certifications, says Fisher, which has saved it more than a million dollars in energy costs over the last few years.

"For us it's the perfect combination of the right thing to do, plus it fits with our mission of conservation," he says.

The LEED Platinum certification is the ultimate "high bar" goal for LEED construction, and means that the building met nearly all the green criteria from the USGBC.

You can see how the zoo achieved this at the Go Green Garden, where visitors can learn about recycled building materials, rainwater harvesting, storm water management, and solar and geothermal energy.

"We've been stuck in a rut for 30 years designing buildings the same way," Fisher says. "We've got to change. Building green is the right thing to do for the planet and for the wallet."